The comp was probably the best run and organised comp i have been to in UK - good team of loaders, spotters, scorekeeping, MC, great venue, well planned, programme etc etc - well done the whole team and the main man Ben!

max log - first event is full of nerves, especially when it is pretty much your weakest one. Opening weight 110 was shaky, 115 was better, 120 clean felt good but legs didnt fire. Four lifters got stuck with 115 as shared last place. Not a bad result for me.

350kg yoke for 20m - since when did I became good with yoke?!? Worst start in history, but then got going and did the course without drops. 6th place!

stupidly heavy van deadlift - disaster. I gave it a good go, but didnt make it and pulled my back. Lower back vertebrae joint went POP and i was in agony. I was thinking about pulling out for the first time ever...

But i was then told that unfortunately Discus Ben and Wayne Steel had to pull out due to back injuries. So i thought, even if i nail last places in every event from now on, i could place something like 12th, so i may as well grind through the pain.

I know this injury well, have had it numerous times, so i know all the stretches and movements which help it. Also nailed Aarons voltarol like never before. I got movement back to it, but it was still very painful.

Medley - had to squat deep to get the 170kg cross off the ground and it was never going to go far, last place in this event, but still three points because of the two guys who pulled out.

squat - put the belt megatight over the injured joint and tried to stay as upright as possible. I was first one to go because if the last place in the medley. Nailed first two reps easy, but then the pain in the back made it harder to lean a bit forwards to get the depth and got the next two reps disallowed. Looking at the vid they were just maybe an inch too high, didnt know it was that close, should have just taken the pain. I just gave up i guess, worried about further damaging my back.

also my nose started to bleed, which unfortunately is hard to tell from the video. Rather my nose than some blood clot in my brain!

anyway, 2 reps was good enough for 6th place i think (dont have the scores yet) and loads of guys didnt get a rep at all, just highlighting what a brutal day it had been so far!

the vid:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GLBWAdwihY[/youtube]

64kg dumbell for reps - big goal for me, over half of the attempts in training failed, but i was strangely calm. back was in agony already when picking the dumbell off the floor, but cant say it hindered the effort. First one went up easy, took a breather, and went for the second one which i failed to lock out. Another breather and nailed that one just about. 2 reps - happy! Dont know about the placing, near enough bottom i guess?

stones - what drama! John Rutgard who equalled me in points in last years InBetweeners comp only to lose on countback (after we tied on reps with deadlift with 12 reps, but i did mine faster) was at equal points with me going to the stones, and we went head to head A bad stone run for me though have to admit, and John got me this time. 1-1, with a decider hopefully soon!

10th place! Better than expected, and few of the guys ahead of me look nailable on a good day. I am 1st reserve for UKs now where the top 105 strongment from scotland, wales and northern ireland will join in too. So I better train for it, pretty much always one of the athletes cant make it, be it because of family commitments, injuries or what ever.

Amazing! I just showed my kids your video as examples of strong vegans.

"The worker has the right to leave his boss, but can she do it? And if she does quit him, is it in order to lead a free life; where she will have no master but herself? No, she leaves to sell herself to another employer. She's driven by the same hunger. Thus the worker's liberty is only a theoretical freedom, lacking any means of realization; an utter falsehood."-Bakunin

BGW - i finally made it mate, i am ON THE LIST!!! Took a while... damn bodybuilders get in without any merits I call it discrimination against fatter athletes!

That back injury is an old friend - i know exactly what i needed to do, which is why i was lying on the floor doing those weird moves, and pushing my hips against the wall and generally shaking my booty all the time

linnea - yeah i will be in if one of the 9 cant make the comp - but it is by no means certain. But i think i need to be ready for it...

next comp this saturday, finlands 105 cup comp, bullshit comp for me because the first three events are qualifiers for the last two, and they have two weak events for me lol!

0 repping the first event would kill my chances to get to the top 8 i think. Sidehandle deadlift certainly fits me better than front bar, but that does sound heavy... Need to remember i have picked 310 up on the OSG frame ages ago when much weaker, and also 160 farmers? Something like that anyway.

Would be AWESOME to get to nail chain yoke!!!

Then week after second one of the cup comps, on the other side of finland, again same format with qualifiers etc.

[quote="JP"]....Nailed first two reps easy, but then the pain in the back made it harder to lean a bit forwards to get the depth and got the next two reps disallowed. Looking at the vid they were just maybe an inch too high, didnt know it was that close, should have just taken the pain.....